Drama as Secret Gesture demoted in Beverly D

BY NICHOLAS GODFREY7:20AM 16 AUG 2015

Report: USA, Saturday

Arlington Park: Beverly D Stakes (Grade 1) 1m1½f, turf, 3yo+ f/m

AS TORRENTIAL rain hit Chicago, a storm came down on Arlington Park as an eventful Beverly D Stakes ended in drama and controversy - and a huge slice of disappointment for Ralph Beckett and Jamie Spencer.

Secret Gesture passed the post a clear winner, only to get thrown out for alleged interference in the final strides, leaving US-trained Watsdachances(Chad Brown/Joe Bravo) as the fortunate winner of the $700,000 contest.

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With Spencer riding for his old retainer, Sheikh Fahad, Secret Gesture hit the wire a length and a quarter in front of her rivals in the Grade 1 contest.

However, she had drifted out a little under a left-handed drive from Spencer, who did the correct thing and switched his stick - but not before Irad Ortiz, on the closing Stephanie's Kitten, had stopped riding and forfeited second place by a neck to the late rally of her Chad Brown-trained stablemate Watsdachances.

"I'm sorry there had to be a loser in here, but I do think the stewards made the right call," said Brown, the number one turf trainer in North America. "We were lucky both of our horses fired today."

The question for the stewards was whether Secret Gesture did indeed impede Stephanie's Kitten, as Ortiz appeared to exaggerate the effect of the leader's manoeuvre. But the officials adjudged that the US filly had been interfered with and therefore had to demote Secret Gesture.

The 9-1 chance Watsdachances, a winner at Navan as a two-year-old in 2012 for original trainer Ger Lyons, encountered precisely none of what little interference there may have been. But under the rules, he had to be promoted to first place once the stewards ruled interference had taken place.

Ortiz, who rides Acapulco for Wesley Ward in this week's Nunthrope Stakes, was adamant that Stephanie's Kitten had suffered to a significant degree. "The winner kept coming out and it definitely cost me second," he claimed.

Be that as it may, winning jockey Joe Bravo had reason to thank his lucky stars. "You can't make this game up!" he said. "With the rainstorm we got, and they had her ready to run and she just loved the distance."

For Spencer, the decision must surely have had echoes of one of the unhappiest moments of his career when the Ballydoyle-trained Powerscourt was disqualified after passing the post first in the Arlington Million in 2004.

Racing on rain-softened ground Secret Gesture had tracked the favourite Euro Charline in the early stages before being produced by Spencer after they turned for home. Under a strong drive from Spencer, she was always holding the closing pack - only for the stewards to have their say.

Euro Charline weakened to fourth under Jose Lezcano, who said: "My filly really broke sharp and never relaxed she just pulled me the whole way and when the other came I tried to give her a kick but she was just too tired."

Colm O'Donoghue rode Wedding Vow to finish fifth. "She gave me a great one but she's too good of a mover and the ground was too soft, too deep," said the jockey.

The Dermot Weld-trained Carla Bianca was sixth. "This filly likes it very fast and she couldn't get any traction at all," said Pat Smullen. "It's just deep and she wants fast ground. We had lovely position behind the winner and I knew between the two turns I was in trouble."

Highland reels in Secretariat rivals

BY NICHOLAS GODFREY7:47AM 16 AUG 2015

Report: USA, Saturday

Arlington Park: Secretariat Stakes (Grade 1) 1m2f, turf, 3yo

CLASS told as Gordon Stakes winner Highland Reel (Aidan O'Brien/Seamie Heffernan) bolted up in the Secretariat Stakes, the first of three Grade 1 events at Arlington's International Festival of Racing.

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In a dominant performance as the rain started to pour in Chicago, the son of Galileo made all to score by five and a quarter lengths to become Ballydoyle's fourth winner of this $450,000 contest following Ciro (2000), Treasure Beach (2011) and Adelaide (2014).

Highland Reel was allowed to set easy fractions (24.53s, 50.09s, 1m14.72s) after being sent straight to the front by Seamie Heffernan and not being put under any sort of pressure, though admittedly he was helped when leading home contender Force The Pass, the Belmont Derby victor, jumped in the air at the gate and missed the break.

After that it was plain sailing for Highland Reel, sent off a generous 2.4-1 second favourite. Kicked on from the turn, he won in totally emphatic fashion in the Derrick Smith colours.

"There was so little pace in the race, if we couldn't make the lead and then make all, we didn't deserve to win," said O'Brien's on-the-spot assistant TJ Comerford, who said Highland Reel could follow in Adelaide's footsteps with a Cox Plate bid.

Seamie Heffernan was having his first ride in the States. "I was hoping to jump and have someone lead me, but when no one went, and he was doing it easily, that was fine," said the jockey. "I couldn't see much pace and he did it easy. I was very confident."

Domestic pair Closing Bell and the favourite Force The Pass took second and third, with Italian Derby winner Goldstream meeting the first defeat of his career in fourth place.

Also on Saturday

Arlington Park: American St Leger (Grade 3) 1m51/2f, turf, 3yo+

European visitors got off to the perfect start at the Arlington International Festival of Racing with a one-two as Lucky Speed (Peter Schiergen/Andrasch Starke) struck for Germany, getting the better of Ireland's Panama Hat in the fourth running of this $350,000 event.

Both visitors were sensibly ridden in mid-division as the locals set too fast a tempo before Chris Hayes produced the Andy Oliver-trained Panama Hat (racing without Lasix) as they entered the stretch. But although the Irish gelding ran on gamely, he could not hold 3-1 chance Lucky Speed, whose CV features a victory in the German Derby two years ago.

The winning margin was three-quarters of a length, with the favourite Hyper four lengths back in third. "We knew he needed more distance and that's what he got today," said jockey Andrasch Starke, winning his first race in the US.

Chris Hayes, who rode Panama Hat, said: "We had a lovely smooth trip all the way around and he kicked off the turn but I probably just met a good one on the day."

Saratoga: Fourstardave Hcap (Grade 2) 1m, turf, 3yo+

Beaten a neck in last year's race, 8-1 chance Grand Arch (Brian Lynch/Luis Saez) went one better this time around by the same margin, running down front-runner King Kreesa before holding the late run of Ironicus to claim this $500,000 event.

STRIKE WHILST THE IRON IS HOT

reductio ad absurdum

The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least.

The Pizza Man delivers in Arlington Million

BY NICHOLAS GODFREY8:25AM 16 AUG 2015

Report: USA, Saturday

Arlington Park: Arlington Million (Grade 1) 1m2f, turf, 3yo+

A FIVE-STRONG European team were whitewashed in the 33rd running of the Arlington Million, which produced a popular hometown victory for a Chicago-based, Illinois-bred gelding as The Pizza Man (Roger Brueggemann/Florent Geroux) brought home the dough.

A standing dish at Arlington Park, the six-year-old extended his record at the track to ten wins from 13 starts in the $1 million contest, in which he was making his Grade 1 debut. Available at 14-1 with British bookmakers on Saturday, the winner was just short of a 6-1 shot on the Arlington pari-mutuel, where the diappointing Slumber was narrowly made favourite.

Best of the visitors was Irish-trained Elleval, who earned $27,500 for finishing fifth after making late ground from the rear under Pat Smullen. Belgian Bill was seventh but well-fancied Maverick Wave flopped, fading to last place in a 13-runner field.

The Pizza Man was settled in fifth place, in the third flight of horses about six lengths behind Shining Copper, who posted really strong early fractions ahead of Maverick Wave and French-trained Bookrunner.

Both of them were spent forces as The Pizza Man was asked to make ground four wide on the far turn before being driven to lead inside the final furlong, and then receiving more firm handling from regular partner Florent Geroux to hold Big Blue Kitten by a neck, with Shining Copper gamely holding for third place.

"I'm always confident when I ride him," said Geroux. "He loves to win and knows where the wire is. But I had no horse the whole way - it looked like he was struggling over the very soft track but when I put him outside he started to hold up and grabbed the bit again and I was thinking. 'Oh boy he's going for a big one here!' He is a local horse and even going to the track there was a lot of people cheering for us and I'd like to thank them."

The Pizza Man was doubly declared in the American St Leger, a race he won 12 months ago, and was declared an intended runner in the Million only on the morning of the race.

Jamie Spencer reported that soft ground had been "no good" for Belgian Bill. "I think we could have placed if the ground was fast," he said.

Gerald Mosse said it had also been a "bit too soft" for Bookrunner, who came ninth. "I think the ground is quite deep for him and I'm not sure he handled it too much," he said. "With that ground I feel the distance is too long."

William Buick was understandably disappointed with John Gosden's Huxley Stakes winner Maverick Wave. "He is obviously a lot better than that," he said. "I was where I wanted to be but he dropped back so fast. That wasn't him."

>>The Arlington Million is a Breeders' Cup Challenge 'Win and You're In' race for the Breeders' Cup Turf. The Pizza Man team of Brueggemann, Geroux and owners Midwest Thoroughbreds won last year's Sprint with Work All Week.

STRIKE WHILST THE IRON IS HOT

reductio ad absurdum

The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least.

Despite crossing the line first in the race, the Ralph Beckett-trained mare was demoted to third as she was deemed to have caused interference with Stephanie's Kitten - who finished third - with Watsdachances picking up the victory.

The interference was minimal, and arguably had the race been run in Britain Secret Gesture would have kept the win. However the American racing authorities operate under a different set of a rules.

Redvers said on At The Races on Sunday morning: "It's tough, if you'd run the race another ten times Secret Gesture would win it every time, she was given an inspired ride by Jamie [Spencer]. It seems desperately unfair and unjust and we're looking at appealing.

"They run by different rules over there so we've just got to see whether or not common sense will prevail."

'Slightly bonkers'

Redvers added: "I couldn't see how we would lose it - the best horse won and won comfortably - but Sheikh Fahad thought we would lose it. It doesn't make any sense in my head. Wouldn't it be a wonderful utopia if we all raced by the same rules?

"It's a frustrating state of affairs. We left it last [Saturday] night that we were definitely appealing, but we're taking advice locally and if it's clearly a waste of time we won't waste everybody's time."

STRIKE WHILST THE IRON IS HOT

reductio ad absurdum

The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least.

I think the Brits have the protest position the horse in front too much -perfect eg is Jacqueline Quest beating Special Duty. Rules at time saw correct demotion of the winner, we had people saying JQ was best horse and should have kept the race, ignoring the fact that the line she took was metres longer than a straight line. In doing so she dragged SD the same way. yes, she was best horse, but SD goes in a straight line, she wins. Rules got changed, so now JQ very likely have kept the race and very hard to win on protest. Saw one example last year at Ascot of a head winner messing up the 2nd and keeping the race to the surprise of most pros given how slim the margin.

Secret Gesture's contacts I think are right to feel aggrieved - to me Stephanies Kitten's jockey made a total meal out of it - akin to his Latin American soccer playing compatriots calling for a foul after not being touched. He would have been hoping for 2nd and being promoted to winner, instead when he pulls her, he drops to 3rd and SG is hugely unlucky. Chad Brown luckiest of the lot, training the eventual winner and not enough grace to say so.

A couple of notes worthy of a post here just to keep the thread alive....

Mohaymen, Tapit's $2.2 million son continued his undefeated streak as the 2/5on fav in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. He now leads in the point table for qualification to the Kentucky Derby.

Not in hAmerika but representing the USA, California Chrome, prepped in a handicap (stakes US$143,000), at Meyden (UAE) carrying about 132 pounds, 15 more than any of his seven rivals.Started at odds of 1/20on in US pari-mutual pools. California Chrome next start will be in the G1 Dubai World Cup.

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